Sketch When Inspired

Recently while having lunch at Abuleo's, with my husband, I was caught off guard without anything to sketch on but a cocktail napkin or my husbands shirt.  (He said, No). The light reflections streaming in and around the busy scene was a painting waiting in the wings.  I not only didn't have paper, no pen....so borrowing the waiters pen, shapes that appealed to me where quickly drawn.  The figures moving around changed the light prospective often and another napkin was required.  Think I have enough information to compose several interesting paintings from one setting.  I keep a small tablet in my purse with pen just for those inspiring moments...but where was it when I needed it...at home.  So when you find yourself without, overly inspired,  sketch on anything available....that is anything you can take with you.  Restaurants frown on taking their tablecloths or napkins.....JoBeth

                                                             The napkin drawing

                                          The 11x15 study on A'rches 140# rough paper

Painting with Limited Palette

Seems I have little time to keep my blog up to date.  Not sure if it is the lack of organization or too much on my plate...probably the latter.  I paint/sketch or read, art almost everyday.  Not everything I paint is worthy for publication....most of the time it begins as a masterpiece, runs off the road then quickly is tagged as experimental.  Another word often used is 'series'  that term is used when you can't get it right.  The experimental or series claim makes one feel as though they didn't waste their time and supplies.  The fat stack of those so called 'experimentals' seems to grow in the studio faster than the debt ceiling.  I will admit learning from my mistakes has probably been the best tool in my kit.  'What Not To Do' would be a perfect title for a book but a high fever plaguing my body would have to be present for me to contemplate writing the book. The longer I paint the dont's seem to have taken more space within the pages of my note pad than the do's.  What to do or not....doesn't seem to keep me from that continuous passion to paint.

The painting below is 22x30 on A'rches 140# rough paper.  A brush drawing using yellow ochre, on dry paper, a limited palette, and a #10 quill brush were the tools used to start this fun painting.  The colors mixed on the paper keeping  a close observation on the strength of values with every brush load of pigment.  When dry the dark values were added to emphasize windows, doors, figures and anything of importance...experiment...paint a series....just PAINT
JoBeth